Curried Cauliflower Soup

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4

Creamy, vegan cauliflower soup made with coconut milk and spiced with Thai curry paste. This healthy, comforting soup recipe is perfect for chilly days.

Ingredients

• 1 large head of cauliflower, broken into small florets, stems chopped
• Up to 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste* (depending on preferred spice level, I love spicy so I’d use 3!)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup unoaked white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)**
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or stock
• 1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 to 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions or chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• Thinly sliced jalapeño, Serrano or birds-eye peppers (optional, not shown)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the cauliflower with enough coconut oil to lightly coat it (up to 3 tablespoons). Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast until the tips of the cauliflower are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
2. In a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil until shimmering. Add the onion and a dash of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is turning translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the curry paste and lemon zest and stir to incorporate. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the wine, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the wine has evaporated.
3. Add all of the roasted cauliflower stems and half of the florets to the pot. Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk and sugar. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering for 5 to 10 more minutes to meld the flavors, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pot from the heat.
4. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then carefully use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. (Or transfer the soup in small batches to a blender, blending until each batch is smooth. Don’t ever fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware of the steam escaping from the lid.)
5. Stir in 1 teaspoon vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup needs more acidity, stir in 1 to 2 additional teaspoons of vinegar, to taste. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Top each with 1/4 of the cauliflower florets, a sprinkle of basil and chives and hot peppers (if using).

NOTES

*THAI RED CURRY PASTE: I used Thai Kitchen’s red curry paste for this soup, which is vegetarian (some other Thai curry pastes contain shrimp). It’s pretty readily available in grocery stores these days and shouldn’t cost more than a few dollars. Look for it in the Asian food section, near the coconut milk.
**WINE IS OPTIONAL: If you want to skip the wine, just proceed to the next step (add the cauliflower and so forth).
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: This soup, like most other soups, will keep well for about 4 days in the refrigerator. It should also freeze and defrost well, since it’s dairy-free!